Trimming Tips from the Pros (Yup, the North Pole Kind)

Besides being incredible designers, we have some folks on our team that we are certain are card-carrying North Pole elves too. Alena Witkowski (Sales Associate, Brookfield, WI location) and Claudia Ward (Manager, Merrillville, IN location) are known for their magical creations of holiday decor and tree trimming to a level that is surely the envy of everyone in Santa’s Workshop. Lucky for us (and you), we got the chance to ask them a few questions on how to bring some enchanting tips into our homes.

Oh, Christmas Tree. Oh, Christmas Tree. How beautiful are your branches? Okay, confession time, which do you prefer – faux or real?

From Claudia:

“I believe you can trim either, and achieve a look that’s warm and cozy for the holidays.

Most faux trees have branches that are spaced out quite a bit; leaving several gaps. Make sure to fluff the tree and bend some of the branches slightly up and down to give it a fuller and more natural look.

For a real tree, make sure to select a tree that has firmer branches. Many of the fluffy species look gorgeous, but can’t sustain the weight of lights and ornaments.

My tree of choice is a Blue Spruce. It has beautiful blue/green needles that spread along a branch in clusters giving it great fullness. The branches are strong enough to hold up all of your tree decor.

Since real trees are all unique, it may be more difficult to find one that’s full all the way around. Think of your tree placement when selecting. If it’s going in a corner, a small bare spot on the tree is ok. The bare spot can be turned and hidden against a wall.”

From Alena:

“I love fresh trees… they smell wonderful and it’s so fun looking for just the right one.

Artificial is great because it really allows you to work ornaments, ribbon, and whatever else you’re using to decorate your tree. You can do this because you don’t have large gaps like you’ll find in a real tree. The branches are made with wire so you can mold your tree around your ornaments too.

If you’re a novice at decorating Christmas trees, I would suggest starting with an artificial one. I believe you will have an easier time with it.”

Lighting a tree just right is what can make or break a well-trimmed tree – after untangling the lights, of course. What are your best lighting tips?

From Claudia:

Lighting is the most important detail on any tree. You can have beautiful ornaments, but if the lighting is wrong, they won’t display properly.

Consistency is key when it comes to trimming trees. Whether you want a soft and natural ensemble or a cheerful and colorful look, balance and consistency are ideal.

Skip on putting on all the lights you’ve purchased throughout the years. Pick a theme, and use the ones that fit that style. Multi-colored warm lights? Cool white lights? Great! Just make sure not to mix the two temperatures. This can create eye strain.

If you have large bulbs and small ones of the same tones, mixing them is great! Just remember to layer them, keeping that balance (consistency) in mind. The general rule for balanced lighting is approximately 100 lights per 1 foot. A 7-foot tree should have a minimum of 700 lights.

For placement, no need to twirl yourself around the tree stringing all the lights around as you twirl. Focus on your electric source and start there. Plugin the lights as you string them to see where you need to fill a bit more as you go. Zig zag the lights from the bottom to the top of the tree in smaller triangular sections. Wrap the lights around the branches starting from the center of the tree, working your way outwards. This will help eliminate dark spots and create a uniform ambiance with the lighting. Make sure to step back once in a while to check your spacing.

Some of us have a few modern ornaments. Some of us have bins full of vintage ones. How do we properly place whatever amount/kind we have on the tree (when the little ones don’t put them all clustered on the bottom)?

From Claudia:

“Make sure to lay out all of your ornaments in groupings on the floor so you can see how many you have of each style to disperse around the tree. Again, keeping balance in mind.

I love to mix ornaments of various sizes all up and down the tree, but always making sure that the tree keeps its shape. You wouldn’t want to add gigantic globes at the very top and create a strange bobble-head look. However, a large ornament would be a great solution to fill in a bare spot.

After all the ornaments and the tree topper is set, step back and check for bare spots or too many ornaments clustered in one area. My final step is to add a bit more fullness and dimension with sprigs and sprays. You can purchase artificial or real ones or a mix of both. The sprays can be a number of different trimmings that help add an extra touch. For example, clusters of a variety of greens with pinecones all wrapped on a stick. You can place them all around the tree to fill in a not-so-fluffy section, or to add just a little more sparkle.”

From Alena:

“I would definitely say if you want more impact from a Christmas tree, use some of the same design points you use when you decorate a room.

You’ll want to use different scales of ornaments. You could have jumbo, large, medium, small, and extra small ornaments. By using different sized ornaments you are going to create more depth. I would suggest also that the jumbo and large ornaments be set back into the tree, sometimes even near the trunk. This does help create that depth as well.

You can also use different textures. This would include different textures in the ornaments but you can also bring in ribbon and maybe even florals.

Shape is another thing to think about. When you see a tree that is decorated with only round ornaments, it is definitely not as interesting as a tree where there are many different shapes on it.

Lastly, there’s color. Do you want to use many colors or create a theme by using a certain range of colors? If you use a certain range of colors, make sure to use different values of these colors because, once again, it will create more impact.”

Most of us think we are finished when the tree skirt is under the tree. Are there any other ways to complete the look?

From Claudia:

“For the grand finale, dressing the area under the tree is another opportunity to add a bit more style.

For a clean and simple look, consider using a tree collar (makes the tree look like it’s sitting in a pot). If you want to add a little more texture, use a great patterned knit throw or tree skirt to wrap around the base. Remember to let your style shine and have fun with it!”

We all want to get big decor impact without breaking the budget, sometimes even more so with holiday decor that we only have up for a short time. Any suggestions on how to get more for your money with Christmas decorations?

From Alena:

“If you are on a budget, I would purchase those big boxes of ornaments at your local big box store. Make sure to get a few different sets that vary in size and color.

I would also suggest using ribbon. Ribbon gives you a lot of impact. You can fill empty spaces with it quite well without breaking the bank.”

There are definitely some decorating gems in there that we know are from the Big Guy himself! Give some of these a try and share with us how they work out for you!